


~Master's Pet~

by Graceaphine



Category: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: <--- This tag will not make sense until you've read chapter four, Also why the heck did I not add Daiya as a tag sooner?, Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Bad Ending, Because Ya Know, Blood, Brainwashing, Chiaki is only mentioned right now, Despair, Execution, I'm the dumbest person alive, M/M, Mastermind AU, Mastermind Ishimaru Kiyotaka, Mentions of Sexual Assult, Mind Control, Murder, Past Abuse, Past physical abuse, Recollection of memories, Stars, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, major character deaths, past trauma, she's dead...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:53:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10697415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graceaphine/pseuds/Graceaphine
Summary: What if Mondo Oowada never murderer Chihiro Fujisaki and joined Byakuya Togami, Makoto Naegi, Aoi Asahina, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Kyoko Kirigiri and Toko Fukawa as the final seven in the killing school known as Hope’s Peak Academy? And just who is the mastermind behind it all?





	1. Joining Despair

What if Mondo Oowada never murderer Chihiro Fujisaki and joined Byakuya Togami, Makoto Naegi, Aoi Asahina, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Kyoko Kirigiri and Toko Fukawa as the final seven in the killing school known as Hope’s Peak Academy? And just who is the mastermind behind it all? 

~~

“Bro...What’s wrong?” a familiar, friendly, warm and inviting voice asked as a warm, hand gently shook Mondo’s shoulder.

Mondo raised his head, only slightly, up from the pillow in which he has buried it in. Mondo was surprised to see Kiyotaka’s concerned face staring down at him. “B-Bro!? How the hell did you get in here? I thought I locked the door?” Mondo asked.

“Nevermind about that, you were shaking and groaning, did something happen?” Kiyotaka asked.

“It’s nothing.” Mondo insisted, turning his head back to the killer to avoid Kiyotaka’s gaze.

“It's not nothing, tell me right now.” Kiyotaka demanded.

When Mondo didn't reply, Kiyotaka grabbed his shoulders and turned Mondo onto his back. Surprised, Mondo looked up and saw Kiyotaka’s concerned expression. Mondo knew that there was no use trying to insist that he was fine, Kiyotaka would figure out the truth eventually. With a sigh, Mondo gave in, “I was just thinking about what that fucking bear said earlier.”

“About revealing our secrets to the world if there isn't a murder within twenty four hours?” Kiyotaka asked.

“Yeah, that. I just don't feel good remembering or talking about it and to have someone else expose it is so damn frustrating!” Mondo exclaimed.

“Is your secret about Daiya’s death?” Kiyotaka asked.

Mondo looked down and nodded slowly, assuming Kiyotaka had guessed because Mondo told him about his brother's death while they were in the sauna together. Kiyotaka gently held Mondo’s hand in his own, causing the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader to look at him in surprise, a clear blush visible on his face. “Don't worry about it, I’m sure no one will mind. Besides, it's not like you intended to kill your brother, he went in front and took the hit with his own free will.” Kiyotaka said.

“But-” Mondo was cut off by Kiyotaka.

“No buts! The others will all say the exact same thing as me, I’m sure, and besides…” Kiyotaka said before pausing to lean in closer to Mondo to whisper, “Even if they don't, you still have me.”

Kiyotaka was did have a point. It was a good thing Mondo had Kiyotaka by his side and Kiyotaka managed to calm his anxiety before Mondo did something he could never take back. “Sorry you had to see me in such a state.” Mondo apologised as Kiyotaka pulled away.

“Nonsense! That's what brothers are for.” Kiyotaka replied with a smile.

Mondo smiled back. That was the last time he would smile at Kiyotaka as himself. 

~~

When Chihiro Fujisaki was found dead, everyone suspected Genocide Jack, a fiendish serial killer who also happened to be Toko Fukawa’s other personality. However, Makoto figured out that she was framed by Byakuya Togami who then came under suspicion. Once Byakuya’s innocence was proven, suspicion fell on Mondo. “W-What? I’m not the fucking killer! Chihiro came to me asking me to help him train so I agreed. I went to get some training equipment for him and when I came back, the dude was dead.” Mondo explained.

“It would make sense if Mondo was the killer, he was the first to discover Chihiro’s body.” Celeste said, ignoring what Mondo had just said completely.

“Hang on! My bro would never murder anyone!” Kiyotaka had exclaimed. 

“Well, clearly the killer killed to protect their secret from being exposed so if Mondo isn't the killer, he should have no problem telling us his secret.” Celeste replied.

“No way in fucking hell! That doesn't even make fucking sense. Besides, I'm not the only one who doesn't want to reveal their secret! We established this yesterday!” Mondo said. 

“I don’t think it was Mondo.” Makoto said, “In fact, I don’t actually think it was anyone.” 

“What? So no one is the murderer? But that means…” Asahina said, trailing off as a certain question sprung into everyone’s minds.

Pulling out evidence after evidence and backing them up with explanations as well as refuting anyone who tried to dispute his points, Makoto began to piece together what really happened on the night of Chihiro Fujisaki’s death. The truth became painfully clear.

Unable to handle the pressure, anxiety, depression and self-loathing Chihiro felt, he committed suicide. 

Agreeing with Makoto, everyone voted for Chihiro as his own killer. They were right. Mondo was alive, but he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. From where Kiyotaka was standing, he gave Mondo a reassuring smile. Mondo smiled back. At least Mondo had Taka by his side.

~~

When Kiyotaka was murdered, Mondo was determined to not fall into despair. Even though Mondo didn't know would murder someone like his Taka, he refused to fall into despair. His Taka wouldn't want Mondo to fall into despair. Even though Mondo wasn't good at thinking, he couldn't just stay on guard and not contribute to finding Kiyotaka’s murderer so Asahina took his place on guard duty and Mondo helped with the investigation.

When it was revealed that Hifumi was manipulated by Celeste- or rather Taeko Yasuhiro- to murder Kiyotaka, Mondo simply wanted to know why. When Celeste explained about her fantasy, Mondo was angry. Taka died in vain, he died for something stupid and selfish. Mondo didn't hold any disdain against Hifumi, after all he was manipulated by Celeste, but at the same time he didn't resent Celeste, after all everyone wanted to get out of there. However, Mondo did resent someone, “I should've protected him…” Mondo said.

“You couldn't have known what would happen to Taka.” Sakura said in an attempt to comfort Mondo.

“Puhuhuhu, it's all of your faults.” Monokuma said with a giggle, “If you all weren't so selfish, none of this would have happened.” 

Throughout Celeste’s execution, Mondo felt no satisfaction. The ring leader behind Kiyotaka’s death may be dead, but that wouldn't bring back his Taka.

~~

“We know you're the mastermind, Junko, so you might as well reveal yourself!” Makoto Naegi shouted at the animatronic bear known as Monokuma, or more specifically, the person controlling Monokuma behind the monitor.

Monokuma was silent for a while. “An answer this fucking year would be nice, shithead!” Mondo snapped at the bear. 

After watching their friends kill each other and die, the survivors were way past annoyed, although some were better at hiding it than others. “Puhuhuhu, as always, your words are cold, Mondo.” Monokuma replied.

“Just reveal yourself!” Byakuya demanded. 

“Hmmm….Alright, I will, but only after you vote.” Monokuma answered.

“Vote? But if we vote for you-” Aoi is cut off by Monokuma.

“Then I’ll execute myself, of course, but only if you get it right.” Monokuma replied.

“Is this all there really is to it, though? This all seems a little too easy.” Yasuhiro said.

“S-Shut up, w-we’re finally going to leave this f-freaking place!” Toko replied.

“Don't get me wrong, I want to get out of this place too, but-” Yasuhiro was cut off by Monokuma. 

“Now then, this probably goes without saying by now, by please use the levers in front of you to cast your vote. Puhuhu, who will you chose? Who's it gonna be? Who's it gonna be?” Monokuma excitedly asked. 

Using the levers in front of them, everyone casted their vote on who they were sure was the mastermind. Although, none of them could honestly say they are one hundred percent certain, for in each of their minds, there was a seed of doubt. As the votes were counted, the slot machine rolled and when it stopped, Junko Enoshima’s face was displayed, however the usual jungle that accompanied the revelation of the votes, did not sound. “Puhuhuhu!” Monokuma giggled.

“Um...Why is he still laughing?” Yasuhiro asked.

“It's over, mastermind, we beat you.” Togami said.

“You beat me? Well, I’ll just reveal myself then so we can see if you really have beaten me.” Monokuma said.

Before any of the students could say another word, there was a puff of smoke. They couldn't make out who was standing there, but it was obvious that the silhouette didn't belong to Junko Enoshima. Instead, who they saw standing there shocked all of them. “B-Bro!?” Mondo exclaimed.

Ishimaru smiled at him, just like he always had, and replied, “I’m happy to see you too, Mondo.”

Ishimaru’s usual white school uniform, was now half white and half black. His shirt was buttoned up with red buttons all along the black half and he had gold shoulder pads. Lying at Ishimaru’s feet was Monokuma. “B-But we all s-saw-” Toko began but was cut off by a sneeze escaping her, causing Genocide Jack to come out.

“It's your favourite neighbourhood serial killer!” Genocide Jack exclaimed, before noticing Ishimaru.

A confused look spread across her face as Genocide Jack asked, “Woah, wait, didn't he die? Or am I just crazy?” 

As Genocide Jack bursted into laughing, Byakuya said, “We thought he was murdered, but he isn't. It appears he is actually the mastermind.” 

“Don't fucking say that about him!” Mondo snapped, refusing to accept the brutal truth.

“Mondo's right, it makes no sense!” Asahina exclaimed.

“Puhuhu, as much as I enjoy all this attention from my beloved Mondo, I have to admit that it's true- I’m the mastermind.” Ishimaru said.

Mondo glared and said, “Quit fucking around, you’re not the fucking mastermind.” 

“It doesn't make sense, all signs point to Junko being the mastermind.” Kyoko, who ever since Ishimaru was revealed as the mastermind had been staring downwards in silent confusion, said.

“Oh, well, she was originally. After Hifumi attacked me I fell unconscious, but I was wasn't dead. When Junko came to dispose of my body while you guys went to trial, I attacked her and managed to kill her. Honestly, I thought she would be more of a challenge than that.” Ishimaru explained.

“Wait, then if Mukuro’s body is the one we found earlier, and Junko’s is in the lab where it should be, there who’s body is where your body should be?” Kyoko asked.

“The previous headmaster, of course, Jin Kirigiri.” Ishimaru replied.

Kyoko was going paler by the minute as had to steady herself by grabbing the object in front of her. “Kyoko, are you okay?” Makoto asked.

However, his response came from the mastermind who said, “That expression on ber face! It's the total definition of despair!” 

Byakuya glared at the mastermind and said, “I swore on the name of my family that I would personally kill the mastermind, I intend to make good with that promise.” 

“Well, the thing about swearing is that it's against the school rules.” Ishimaru replied.

“But you said you’d execute yourself if we figured out who the mastermind was.” Yasuhiro said.

Ishimaru pointed to Junko’s face that lighting up on the machine behind them and said, “Do I seriously need to remind you? You all voted for Junko Enoshima as the mastermind and although she was the mastermind, you needed to guess the current mastermind, which you didn't. Therefore, the ones who are actually getting punished are you all!” 

“A-All of us are getting executed?” Asahina gasps.

“Y-You can't do that!” Yasuhiro exclaims.

“Oh, but I did it to Celeste- oh, excuse me, I should really be saying Taeko.” Ishimaru replied before adding, “But I suppose just this once I can slightly bend the rules.” 

“So...You’re not going to execute us?” Makoto asked, although he should have known it was a stupid question.

“I said slightly. As in, I’ll execute all of you except for one person.” Ishimaru said.

Ishimaru walked over to Mondo, who was staring downwards and gently grabbed Mondo’s chin and lifts it up so their eyes lock. Despite everything, there was no despair in Mondo’s eyes. There was sadness, anger, confusion, even traces of fear, but no despair. Ishimaru then asked with a smirk, “You can't expect me to execute my precious Mondo, can you?” 

Mondo tried to pull Ishimaru’s hand off his face, but Ishimaru just tightened his grip on Mondo’s soft skin. “I have something else in mind for you, love, I’ll make you fall into despair by watching all your friends get executed and then we’ll send this world into despair together.” Ishimaru said.

“No fucking way I’m going to help you destroy the world!” Mondo exclaimed.

“Destroy it? Oh no, I want quite the opposite. I’m going to force the world into perfect order. Actually, to be more accurate, we’re going to force the world into perfect order.” Ishimaru replied.

Ishimaru gently planted a kiss on Mondo’s hand. Despite the cringe that was on Mondo’s face, there was also an undeniable blush. Ishimaru turned towards the others and asked, “I guess it's about time to get this ball rolling, wouldn't you agree?”

“No! We're not going to give up now! We’re not going to die!” Makoto exclaimed. 

“That's what you keep saying, but we’ll see how strong your hope really is. I’ve prepared a very special punishment for each of you, Byakuya Togami the Ultimate Affluent Progeny, Toko Fukawa the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Aoi Asahina the Ultimate Swimming Pro, Yasuhiro Hagakure the Ultimate Clairvoyant, Kyoko Kirigiri the Ultimate Detective and Makoto Naegi the Ultimate Lucky Student.” Ishimaru said, pausing to pick up Monokuma and, mimicking Monokuma’s voice, added, “Let’s give it everything we’ve got! IIIIIIITTTTTT’S PUNISHMENT TIIIIIIIIIIME!!!” 

As Ishimaru pressed the shiny, red button, a mental chain came and locked around each of the six student’s neck and began to drag them off to their executions. “Mondo, help us!” Asahina begged right before being dragged out of sight.

Mondo tried to grab Makoto’s hand before he was dragged out of sight too but he couldn't get there in time and just like the other five students, he disappeared. 

~~

Byakuya Togami’s execution began with him being dumped into a garbage can. As he feIl, the garbage can led Byakuya into a place that looked like something that could not be described by words, other than one- Hell. Suddenly, Monokuma, who was dressed like an elementary student, appeared and began to throw stones at Byakuya for looking like a dirty hobo. Byakuya then tried to escape, but his only option was a cold and snowy place. Byakuya had no choice but to accept his fate and die from his wounds and hypothermia. 

Mondo, who had been tied to a chair and forced to watch this on a monitor, tried to avert his eyes from the screen. However, every time he did, the mastermind forced Mondo to look at the screen again. “D..Damn you…” Mondo mumbled as the mastermind firmly held his head in place.

The mastermind laughed, “Oh look, Toko’s next.” he said.

“You bastard, stop this right now!” Mondo demanded.

“Never.” the mastermind purred.

~~

The scene on the monitor changed to show Toko Fukawa being thrown into complete darkness. Suddenly, Byakuya appeared in the distance and Toko begins to run towards him. Suddenly, a huge roller appeared between the two of them. Toko tried desperately to escape but the roller caught up with her and presses her paper-thin, her bones all being crushed. That was the death of Toko Fukawa, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. 

Mondo was still cringing from the crunching sound of Toko’s bones being crushed when the execution was over. The mastermind, on the other hand, was howling with laughter. “Maybe she'll get her kiss from him in the afterlife.” the mastermind inappropriately and grimly joked.

“You're fucking sick! They considered us their friends, you know? Doesn't that mean anything to you?” Mondo snapped.

“Do you really think they ever cared about anyone besides themselves? They're just ungrateful and quick to judge, just like the rest of humanity.” the mastermind bitterly replied.

For a split second, sadness showed on the mastermind’s face and he looked like the Kiyotaka Mondo - who actually considered asking if he was okay - knew before, but it was only for a split second. After that, the mastermind regained his usual insane expression as Asahina appeared on the screen. 

~~

Aoi Asahina was placed in a water tank. From above, Monokuma, dressed as a magician, appeared and waved his staff. Suddenly, curtain fell, a drum roll sounding as it rose. A group of sharks were now in the tank, surrounding Aoi. Once again, Monokuma waved his staff and the curtain fell. As the drum roll sounded and the curtain rose, Aoi was absent from the tank but there was blood around the shark’s mouths. The Ultimate Swimming Pro, Aoi Asahina, had been eaten by sharks.

As Mondo was forced to watch the death of his classmate, the memory of how Asahina had called out to him before they were dragged to their deaths kept haunting him. If Mondo hadn't let his guard down, the mastermind wouldn't have killed all his friends. Mondo’s friends were killed because of his weakness- just like Mondo's brother Daiya. Guilt and horrible memories filled Mondo’s head, causing Mondo to scream out in despair. The mastermind looked into Mondo's eyes and said with a smile, “There it is.” 

“What?” Mondo asked, feeling weak.

“Your eyes are finally starting to show despair in them, but at the same time there's still some hope in there that I need to crush.” the mastermind replied.

As if on cue, the monitor changed to show Yasuhiro.

~~

On the monitor, Yasuhiro Hagakure appeared as a contestant on a quiz show set. Before him there were 3 doors labeled 'A', 'B', and 'C'. There was a 1/3 probability that one was an execution. Trusting his luck, Yasuhiro tried to enter the 'A' door. The door then grew hands and feet and escaped. Next, Yasuhiro tried door 'B' but it does the same thing. Only door 'C' is left, which is sure to be an execution. Yasuhiro isn't willing to step through the door, knowing it is an execution, but a mouth appeared on the door and proceeded to eat him. Thus was the demise of Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant. 

“T-That wasn’t even fair!” Mondo snapped.

“Yasuhiro was told that one of the doors was an execution- which was true. The other two doors were not executions, they just weren’t means of escape, but that wasn’t promised.” the mastermind replied.

The mastermind was right, he was right and Mondo hated that he was so much. Noticing Mondo’s dismay, the mastermind laughed and asked, “I bet you’re really feeling the despair, huh?”

“I’m never going to succumb to you or despair, not after you killed-” Mondo was cut off by the mastermind.

“It won’t be long before I have you on your knees in front of me, wondering why you ever tried to resist despair or me, but for now, we still have two more executions. I’ve been wanting to get rid of Miss Kirigiri for a while actually, so this will be very satisfying for me.” the mastermind said.

Mondo knew he shouldn’t have looked at the monitor, which was now showing Kyoko.

~~

Kyoko Kirigiri was injected with a lethal, fast-acting poison into her bloodstream, with a small electronic jingle. The poison spread through Kyoko’s body at a rapid pace, turning the left side of her body dark purple. Kyoko’s blood vessels then became engorged, especially in her left eye, which turned red and caused her to begin "crying" blood as a result of the increased pressure. A few agonising moments for Kyoko passed before she finally breathed her last. Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective, was now dead.

Out of all the executions that had been displayed thus far, Kyoko’s was the most explicit and gruesome. However, despite the pain she was in, it was clear that even in her last agonising moments, Kyoko never gave into despair. Kyoko Kirigiri was indeed strong- a quality Mondo did not possess. “Y-You bastard!” Mondo exclaimed while trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall.

“To be honest, I thought you would’ve fallen into despair by now.” the mastermind said, ignoring the insult Mondo had thrown at them.

A devilish smirk appeared on the mastermind’s face as he said, “But we still have one more to watch and this time, there's no one to save him.”

~~

The monitor changed to Makoto Naegi who was in a room filled with school desks. In the center there was a large conveyor belt where the desk Makoto was tied to was located. As he sat there, it started moving backwards towards the end of the room. Behind Makoto at the end of the conveyor belt was a large block resembling a trash compactor that slammed down every few seconds, intending to crush whatever was underneath. Above Makoto was a television showing Monokuma's face on it. As Makoto’s desk moved backwards, Monokuma dressed as a teacher appeared in front of him and attempted to teach him a lesson in class, which was actually sex education. While this happened, Makoto constantly turned his gaze behind him, nervously watching the compactor. Eventually, Makoto’s desk goes under the compactor and Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, is crushed flat.

...They were dead...

...They were all dead...

...It was all because of him…

...All of Mondo’s friends died because of him...

The mastermind laughed. “How about that, Mondo? Are you in total despair?” the mastermind asked.

Mondo glared at the mastermind. There was still hope in Mondo’s violet eyes as they burned with fury. In fact, there was actually even less traces of despair than before. Instead, there was burning fury, determination and hope. “Not in a million fucking years, you dick!” Mondo snapped, surprising the mastermind.

“All that and you still haven't fallen into despair? No matter, I always love a challenge and I’ve prepared something else just in case this happened.” the mastermind said.

The mastermind gestured to the monitor, where it was displaying every single murder and execution of Mondo’s classmates. Mondo’s eyes widened, “N-No! Stop! Turn it off!” Mondo demanded.

“Don’t worry, my love, soon you’ll be enjoying this.” the mastermind purred into Mondo’s ear. 

The mastermind was wrong, there was no way Mondo was going to give in. As Mondo was subjected to the content displayed on the screen more and more, a numbing sensation spread throughout his body. All Mondo could see was red and the corpses of his classmates. It didn't help with the mastermind reminding Mondo of when everyone accused him of murdering Chihiro Fujisaki and the pain Mondo felt when he thought his Taka had been murdered. As soon as Kiyotaka’s ‘corpse’ appeared on the screen, all the tears that Mondo had been hiding back so well escaped his eye sockets and began to roll down his cheeks. Mondo’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold his tears back. The mastermind smiled and said, “You look so beautiful when you cry.” 

It felt like hours before the video ended. Mondo breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank goodness it's over.” he mumbled quietly to himself.

“So, how about now, Mondo? Will you join me and despair?” the mastermind asked.

Mondo looked up at the mastermind and paused. Mondo really wanted to say ‘no’ but at the same time, he also wanted to say ‘yes’. It was like Mondo’s heart and his brain were having a game of Tug-Of-War that was forever in a stalemate. Mondo didn't want to give in to despair but he didn't want to be subjected to anymore torture. “I...I…” Mondo began, although he couldn't muster any other words.

The mastermind looked surprised, “Still? Your resistance is impressive if not extremely annoying. Nevertheless, it’s a good thing the movie we just watched has a squeal.” he said with a grin. 

Mondo's eyes widened, horrified. The mastermind laughed before forcing Mondo to look at the screen once again where an entire unedited and uncut recap of The Tragedy was playing. There was a bloodbath all over the screen, it was morbid, it was cruel, it was horrific, it was torture but most of all, it was despair inducing! What felt like centuries later, the video came to a bloody end...Or so Mondo thought, until, a bonus clip played- a clip Mondo had seen too many times before and would much rather forget. It was the clip of Mondo’s brother, Daiya’s, retirement party. More specifically, when Daiya died protecting Mondo from an incoming truck, all because Mondo drove recklessly while trying to beat his brother. It was all Mondo's fault that Daiya died. Just like Mondo's friends, Daiya died because of Mondo. Suddenly, there was a snapping sound in Mondo's head and he knew right there and then that he couldn't take this anymore. Mondo finally broke and succumbed to despair. Mondo's body was trembling, there were tears flowing down his face and he was screaming. The mastermind, now knowing that he has succeeded in sending his love into despair, smiled and gently wrapped his arms around Mondo’s shaking form, gently rubbing his back to try and soothe him. “Shh, calm down, it's alright. I’m here.” Ishimaru gently whispered to Mondo. 

Mondo, as if under some kind of spell, immediately calmed down. Ishimaru smiled, “There, we go. Isn't despair good?” he asked.

Mondo nodded eagerly in response before snuggling against Ishimaru’s chest. “I love you as much as I love despair.” Ishimaru said affectionately, in a twisted and confusing way. 

Mondo stared adoringly at his new master and love and replied, “I love you and despair too, Taka.” 

Taka smiled and kissed Mondo, who happily returned the kiss. Together, they were going to bring despair to the world and anyone who dared to stop them, well…

There were still some execution ideas left over that Taka and Mondo were more than happy to use.


	2. The Ultimate Hope Isn't Meant To Have Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka is a good person...
> 
> Mondo wants to believe this.

As Mondo aided Kiyotaka in the latter’s mission to infect the world with despair, Mondo came to terms with an undeniable fact:

Loving Kiyotaka Ishimaru was like being on drugs - you know it’s bad for you but you can’t stop yourself. Once you’re in too deep, you can’t get back out. 

Although eventually, Mondo realise he didn’t want to get out... 

And that made him hate himself even more. 

Kiyotaka rarely got angry but when he did, no one was safe from his path. Kiyotaka would frequently come to Mondo and without a word, shoves Mondo against a wall and forcefully crashing his lips against his lover’s. Mondo doesn’t need to hear his lover’s low growls against his ear to know that he’s angry. 

By the end of it, Mondo would end up with a myriad of hickeys, bruises and marks from Kiyotaka’s forcefulness.  
However, the rest of the time, Kiyotaka was usually very gentle and loving, often kissing Mondo’s hand affectionately and cupping his cheek with his hand while whispering to him how beautiful he was and how much he loved him.

It was moments like that where it was so easy to just forget about all the crimes Kiyotaka had committed, all the people he had killed, everything he had done to his classmates - his _friends_ \- and get lost in Kiyotaka’s touch.

Mondo honestly wasn’t sure which was worse.

~~

Kiyotaka had, of course, introduced Mondo to the Remnants of Despair - the people who had helped Kiyotaka with just about everything, including forcing Mondo and his friends into the Killing Game but Mondo didn’t hold it against them, he knew Kiyotaka had poisoned their minds like he had done to Mondo’s.

Oddly enough, Mondo didn’t hold anything against Kiyotaka either.

All of them seemed pretty much the same to Mondo - they were all mindless and completely devoted to Kiyotaka…

Except for two exceptions. 

The first exception was the Ultimate Lucky Student - when Mondo found out his title, he internally gaged at the memories - who’s name was Nagito Komaeda. Before being brainwashed, the luckster was a firm believer of hope and hated despair with a passion. Like his classmates, the brainwashing made Nagito fall into despair and be devoted to Kiyotaka, however, at the same time Nagito still hated him and kept his belief that hope will always overcome despair. It was odd - Nagito was the only Remnant of Despair, excluding the _other_ exception, who both loved **and** hated Kiyotaka. 

The second exception was Izuru Kamukura, the supposed Ultimate Hope who was helping despair apparently to see which was more “interesting”. Although he wasn’t sure why, Mondo could tell that Izuru had some grudge against Kiyotaka. When he asked him about it, Izuru would just ignore the question, although Mondo had caught him touching a hairclip a few times. Whenever he had asked Izuru about the hairclip, he’d brush it off and try to hide a flicker of sadness in his expression. 

A few times, Mondo had seen the two together discussing things - although a majority of the conversations seemed one-sided. 

One time, curiosity got the better of Mondo and he decided to eavesdrop on one of their conversations. 

“I thought...you said I was boring?” a quiet, breathless voice - who Mondo identified as Nagito’s - asks.

“Well…” 

Was that Izuru’s voice? 

He sounded so hesitant and unsure, it was uncharacteristic of the usually emotionless man.

“After your persistent efforts to impress me, I decided to reconsider my previous analysis of you and found that you’re not as boring as I first believed...Just annoying.” 

Despite the insult at the end, Nagito’s eyes lit up happily at Izuru’s words. “It means so much to me that someone like you would say that about trash like-”

 **“You’re not trash!** ...At least...I don’t think you are…” Izuru replied, mumbling the last part.

Mondo heard a sigh come from Izuru and barely caught him whisper, “This is...embarrassing..”

Was it seriously possible that Izuru was starting to feel emotions because of the hope obsessed weirdo? 

From what he had heard, Izuru was supposed to have no emotions…

So then why could Mondo see a clear blush on his face? 

~~

One day, the lucky student caught Mondo off guard with a question he had asked.

_“If your brother saw that you’ve stuck by **his** side, despite everything he’s done, what do you think he’d say?” _

Mondo’s heart stopped at the question.

He had been so busy with Kiyotaka that Mondo hadn’t had much time to think about Daiya lately. 

Would he really be proud of him right now? 

Would he really be able to look him in the eye like when they were kids?

Would he think that Mondo should’ve resisted Kiyotaka more?

Would Daiya think he’s a horrible person?

..Would…

..Would Daiya…

. 

. 

. 

Hate him…? 

Mondo couldn’t answer the question - he wouldn’t.

He was scared of what the answer would be…

So he ran. 

He ran away from his problems and guilt...

Just like he always did.

But that didn’t stop the question from plaguing Mondo’s mind the entire day.

Mondo tried to hide it but of course, Kiyotaka still picked up on the fact that something was bothering his beloved Mondo. “My darling Mondo, is something bothering you?” Kiyotaka asked him as they were about to go to sleep that night.

“Uh...N-No, nothing is bothering me. I-I’m fine…” Mondo said in a feeble attempt to lie.

Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow and said, “You’re lying. Did someone say something to you? Who was it? I’ll rip out their vocals chords for upsetting my beloved.”

“It was just a question someone asked me-”

“So someone _did_ say something to upset you…” Kiyotaka said, grabbing Mondo’s chin and forcing him to meet Kiyotaka’s gaze.

 **“Who. Was. It?”**

Mondo could tell his lover was angry and knew the best thing to do was to just do as asked of him to avoid aggravating his lover further. “N-Nagito mentioned something...about Daiya….and asked me if he’d still be proud of me if he saw me now…” Mondo admitted.

Burning red fury flashes in Kiyotaka’s eyes.

**“HE. SAID. WHAT!?”**

Mondo winced at his lover’s tone. “Where is he? I’m going to go speak to him.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo grabbed his lover’s hand in an attempt to stop him, saying, “Wait! I-It didn’t really upset me. I’m over it now-” 

“Don’t try to stop me.” Kiyotaka demanded, giving Mondo a warning glare. 

Hesitantly, Mondo let go of Kiyotaka’s hand and watched him angrily march out of the room, anger literally radiating off of him. 

~~

Mondo didn’t see Kiyotaka the rest of that day and woke up the next day to the sounds of arguing and screaming. Upon investigating, Mondo found Kiyotaka holding a bloodied knife and arguing with Izuru. Laying of the floor beside them was a bloodied Nagito. “How _**DARE** _ you try to stop me!” Kiyotaka was yelling at Izuru.

“If I didn’t, you would’ve killed him. If you’re really planning to put the world into perfect order, then you’ll need as much assistance as possible.” Izuru, ever the calm one, replied.

“Who cares!? He upsetted my beloved Mondo and for that he deserves to die.” Kiyotaka snapped before moving over to where Nagito was lying on the floor, blood pooling from his wounds. 

Mondo wasn’t sure whether or not he should intervene.

Taka wouldn’t really kill Nagito for something so minor…

_...Right!?_

Izuru was quickly to try to stop Kiyotaka, saying, “W-Wait! He...He might still have some use for us! I-If you kill him now-”

**_“SHUT UP OR YOU’RE NEXT!”_**

Kiyotaka pointed the blade at the Ultimate Hope’s neck. Despite Izuru being vital to his plans, there was no sign of insincerity in the mastermind’s gaze. Izuru didn’t look shaken by the threat, however. Nevertheless, Nagito’s weak and quiet voice was the next one to speak, “It’s...It’s okay, Izuru...You...You don’t have to defend…trash like me…I don’t care...if I die…”

Izuru looked down, gritting his teeth as he mumbled something under his breath, although Mondo couldn’t quite hear it. 

Kiyotaka must’ve heard whatever it was, however, as his eyes widened and a smirk spread across his face as he asked, “My, my, Izuru, could it be that you actually _care_ about this **worthless piece of trash?”**

****Kiyotaka turned back to Nagito, who was becoming paler by the second and his body was thrashing.** **

****“Then consider this a warning of what’ll happen should you ever make me **MAD!”** ** **

****Before either Mondo or Izuru could react, Kiyotaka proceeded to plunge the already bloodied knife into Nagito’s chest, causing blood to splatter onto him as Nagito’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body went limp.** **

****Mondo could tell Izuru was trying to keep his composure but despite his attempts, he couldn’t stop his body from shaking at what he had just witnessed, not that Mondo could blame him - his own legs felt like they were going to giveaway at the sight too.** **

****_“T...Taka...Why...Why did you…?”_ ** **

****Kiyotaka turned to look at Mondo, smiling innocently despite the bloodied knife in his hand and the blood covering him. “Oh, Mondo! When did you get here?” Kiyotaka asked, as if he hadn’t just murdered his own servant in cold blood.** **

****Mondo wasn’t sure of how to respond or react to what he had just witnessed so he did the only thing he could think to do.** **

****“I...I just came now…”** **

****Lie.** **

****Mondo lied about what he had witnessed, just like he lied about the true cause of Daiya’s death.** **

****Shortly after the incident, he saw Izuru running into the bathroom, trying to hide his tear-stained face. As Mondo pressed his ear up to the door, he heard Izuru quietly muttering to himself.** **

****“Out of all of them...Why did it have to be _him?_ Why did I have to develop these _feelings_ for _him!?”_ ** **

****Not for the first time in his life, Mondo felt his heart sink with guilt.** **

****After that incident, Izuru walked around not only wearing the same hairpin as before but also carrying or wearing Nagito’s jacket and would try to avoid Kiyotaka as much as possible, even running out of rooms if he thought the psychopath was coming.** **

****Mondo didn’t blame him.** **

****~~** **

****At first, Mondo tried to ignore the guilt, he tried to ignore what Kiyotaka had done…** **

****_What Kiyotaka had done for HIM…_ ** **

****But eventually the guilt got too much for Mondo to bare.** **

****_“I...I have to get out of here…”_ ** **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HALP, I KILLED MAH FAVORITE CHARACTER ;M;


	3. The Bitter Taste Of Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo knows he cannot stay with Kiyotaka any longer - he has to get out of there.
> 
> Unfortunately, the only one who can help him is the totally-not-boyfriend of the person Kiyotaka killed for him.

_I have to fix this..._

_This is all my fault…_

_I let Taka go too far…_

_I let him kill Nagito…_

_I let him kill our classmates..._

_Our **friends...** _

_I let the world fall into despair..._

_I’m a horrible person..._

_This is all my fault..._

_I **need** to fix this... _

This is what Mondo kept repeating to himself as he approached Izuru to ask for his help. “Izuru, I need your help-” Mondo began but was cut off by Izuru piercing glare.

“And why, pray tell, do you honestly believe I’d help **you?”**

 _“Oh...Guess he’s still stuck on the whole ‘my boyfriend murdered one of the only people he actually gives half a shit about’ thing…”_ Mondo realised. 

“Look, I know you’re pissed because of what Taka did to your boyfriend-”

Izuru’s glare tripled at Mondo’s words as he snapped, “H-He wasn’t my boyfriend.”

“Uh huh, and that’s why you’re blushing….” Mondo thought to himself but knew better than to say it out loud.

“Fine, whatever. Still, I know that you’re pissed because Taka killed Nagito for me - even though I actually didn’t tell him to and tried to stop him, for the record - but I’m sorry. I didn’t think he’d actually take it that far.” Mondo said.

“He’s a **genocidal maniac,** of _course_ he _totally_ wouldn’t take it that far…” Izuru sarcastically replied.

“You knew what he was capable of, you just didn’t want to admit it. You’ve been showering him with displays of affection while he’s been going around massecuring everyone and you’ve only admitted that you’re dating a psychopath when he literally **_murders_ ** someone in front of you just because **you** can’t handle the _**truth!”**_

Mondo bit his lip, looking down at the floor. Shame and guilt were tugging at Mondo. Izuru was right, Mondo knew he was. Everything that had happened was all his fault, he was as much at blame as Kiyotaka. 

...But…

But it wasn’t too late to make things right.

Mondo had to at least try. 

“I-I know that, I know I fucked up. I fucked up, okay? But I want to make things right.” Mondo insisted.

“And how exactly are you going to do that?” Izuru asked, eyebrow raised skeptically. 

_“Good question…”_ Mondo thought to himself.

“I...don’t know yet. What I do know is that I sure as Hell won’t be able to do anything if I’m stuck here but I can’t escape on my own, that’s why I need you to help me.” Mondo answered.

Izuru was silent for a moment, probably trying to decide whether he thought Mondo was being genuine or not. In the end, Izuru sighed and said, “Fine, I suppose I’ll help you. Things were starting to get boring, anyways…”

“Wait, did you just agree?” Mondo asked, not expecting Izuru to agree.

“Yes. Now hurry up, we have to get you out of here before Ishimaru figures out what we’re up to.” Izuru said before beginning to walk off.

“Wait, we’re doing this now?” Mondo asked.

Izuru didn’t reply and just continued walking. Mondo decided it was better to just follow Izuru to avoid accidentally doing something to make him reconsider.

~~

“So, do you have a plan or something? ‘Cause to be honest, I’m kinda stumped.” Mondo said as Izuru led him into a small storage room.

“There’s still a few groups of protesters around who haven’t sworn allegiance to Ishimaru yet. If anyone asks where we’re going, we’ll tell them that you wanted to torture them and make them fall into despair as a surprise for Ishimaru.” Izuru explained while rummaging through the many boxes in the storage room.

“It’s a good plan and all but I have a question.” Mondo said.

“Why the fuck did you have to explain this to me in the world’s smallest and crappiest storage room?” 

“Obviously to find this.” Izuru said, pulling out a pair of knives from one of the boxes, “If they see us leaving without any weapons, they’ll know we’re lying about our whereabouts.” 

Izuru handed one of the knives to Mondo but not before first warning him with a glare, “Don’t even think about stabbing me with this. If you so much as think about doing so, I won’t help you.”

“Got it…” Mondo mumbled as he took the knife.

~~ 

With Izuru escorting him, Mondo proceeded to make his way out of the academy. To his surprise, not many people stopped them and those who did brought their story for the most part - saved for Mikan, who seemed slightly skeptical but hey, it’s Mikan. 

As soon as they were a fair distance away from the academy, Izuru said, “You should be fine on your own from here.”

“Aren’t you going to come with me?” Mondo asked.

“I’m sure you can handle not being babysitted.” Izuru replied.

“But if Taka figures out what I’m up to and that you were helping me-”  
“Hence why I’m staying back to make sure he remains none the wiser.” Izuru said.

Mondo sighed before finally saying, “Alright, fine but I don’t want another person dying because of me so you better fucking make sure he doesn’t catch on.” 

“Yes, yes, I know.” Izuru said before turning back and beginning to head back to the academy.

“Wait!” Mondo called after the Ultimate Hope before he could leave.

Still with his back facing Mondo, Izuru asked, “What is it?”

“I...I know I said this before but…” Mondo paused for a moment before continuing.

“I’m sorry for what happened to Nagito.” 

Mondo heard a quiet gasp from the black haired male and silence lingered between the two for what felt like hours before Mondo received a reply - a softly spoke reply but a reply nonetheless.

“Don’t apologise…” 

Before Mondo could say anything else, Izuru walked off, clutching Nagito’s jacket slightly tighter than before. 

And Mondo was alone once again.

~~

Now that he was out, there was no question as to where Mondo would go to first. 

Obviously, he was going to go see his gang.

Mondo’s best friend, Takemichi Yukimaru, owned a bar - well, actually, it was his dad’s but whatever - and in the basement of the bar was a secret room where Mondo and the Crazy Diamonds would go to, mostly just to chill and hang out. 

As Mondo walked into the bar, he was surprised to find it completely empty. There was no customers, no staffs - nothing, which raised an important question.

_“Why the fuck was the door open if there’s no one here?”_

Walking slightly faster than before, Mondo tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest as he raced down to the basement.

_“Please God, not them! Please, not them! Anybody but-”_  
Mondo felt his entire world shatter at the sight he was greeted with.

The room was covered in blood and the whole room was trashed.

In the centre of it all was Mondo’s gang, his friends - no, his _family_ \- lifeless corpses. 

Mondo legs gave way as he collapsed next to Takemichi’s lifeless body, desperately shaking him in the hopes he’d wake up. 

“T-Takemichi...Please...Wake up...Come on, man, wake up...Please....” 

Tears threatened to fall from Mondo’s eyes as his only response was the coldness of Takemichi’s body.

“Please…wake up….”

_“I can’t lose you guys too…”_

A shadow loomed over Mondo, who didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. “Why…? How could you do this to them!? They’re innocent in all of this!” Mondo asked angrily.

“Oh, believe me, I didn’t want to do this but clearly you and Izuru both don’t know your places and for that you’ll be getting punished.” Ishimaru replied, anger evident in his voice too.

“I thought you said you loved me!? What kind of fucked up love involves you murdering the only people left in this world who your boyfriend cares about?” Mondo snapped, turning around to face Ishimaru and give him an ice cold glare. 

**“DON’T YOU DARE IMPLY THAT I DO NOT LOVE YOU!”** Ishimaru yelled, causing Mondo to flinch, “Had you not crossed me, they would still be alive. Their blood is on _your_ hands.” 

Mondo froze at Ishimaru’s words. 

It was unnatural for such a sweet and caring voice to say such cold and devastating things. 

In an instant, the anger in Ishimaru’s expression faded and was replaced with warmth as he said, “But that’s okay.”

Leaning in closer, Kiyotaka’s hand crept behind Mondo’s ear.

_“I forgive you.”_

With a hard press, Mondo’s world soon turned black and he fell limp in his boyfriend’s arms.

 _**“But you’ll still need to be punished.”**_

~~

Mondo woke up in a familiar room.

 _“Oh God, not again!”_

It was the same room Ishimaru had taken him to watch the videos of his classmates, the Tragedy and brother’s deaths back when this nightmare first began - or rather, escalated. 

“I see you’re awake.” a voice said from behind Mondo.

The chair Mondo was tied to had a metal collar restraining his face so Mondo could not turn to see who it was but he didn’t need to. 

He knew too well who it was.

“That was quite a naughty stunt you and Izuru tried to pull off - thankfully Mikan told me that he saw you two leaving and acting suspicious. I’m afraid you’ll still have to be punished for your insubordination, though.”

“Fuck you.” Mondo growled.

“It seems the first time around didn’t fully crush your hope but I’m sure this video I’ve prepared will.” Ishimaru continued before turning the T.V on to reveal a video of Mondo’s gang members right before they were killed.

**“Oh God…”**

“W-Wait, d-don’t make me watch this, please! A-Anything but this!” Mondo feebly pleaded.

“Oh? Perhaps you’d rather watch when your brother died protecting **you,** or when our classmates died because **you** couldn’t figure out that I was the mastermind, or maybe when I killed Nagito for upsetting **YOU?”** Ishimaru asked.

“...”

“That’s what I thought, but just for you, I’ll play them all for you on repeat. Again. And again. And again. Until you finally **break.”**

With that, Ishimaru pressed play.

~~  
_“It’s...It’s all my fault…”_

_“It’s all my fault…”_

_“It’s all my fault…”_

_“All my fault...”_

_“My fault…”_

_“My fault…”_

_“My fault…”_

_**“Myfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfaultmyfault-”**_

After hours of repeatedly watching all of those videos, watching all of those deaths, these were the only thoughts going through the biker gang leader’s head as tears streamed down his face. 

His body was shaking.

His mind felt like it was about to break and crumble into a million pieces. 

As Ishimaru stepped in front of him, Mondo quietly whispered, “I...I won’t ever try to escape again...I-I promise…”

As Kiyotaka kissed the top of his head, Mondo could feel him smirk into his hair as he purred, “Good boy.~”

~~  
After Mondo promised to never try to leave again, Kiyotaka let him leave and Mondo went straight to his room, sobbing into his pillow…

_“...B-Big bro...Takemichi…Makoto...Chihiro...Nagito...E-Everyone...I-I’m so s-sorry…”_

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for being a horrible person. I-I don’t deserve to live…” Mondo whispered into his pillow.

As soon as he spoke those words, Mondo’s eyes fell onto a bottle of pills and not thinking twice about it, Mondo grabbed the bottle and twisted it open. Mondo tipped all of the pills out onto his hand but as he was about to place them in his mouth, a voice shouted.

**“W-WAIT, STOP!”**

A hand knocked the bottle out of Mondo’s hand, also accidently knocking Mondo against the wall behind him. As Mondo rubbed his head where it hit the wall, he asked, “What the fuck are you trying to do? Kill me?”

“And what foolish endeavors are you trying to partake in? Casting yourself into an eternal slumber, perhaps?” the person, who Mondo realised was Gundham Tanaka, asked sarcastically in response. 

Mondo slumped down against the wall and mumbled, “...Maybe…”

With a sigh, Mondo said, “I don’t deserve to live…” 

Gundham sat beside him, awkwardly tugging at his own scarf before saying, “You know...This may not be my place to say but there’s no such thing as a creature who’s happy everyday of their life - well, unless you count that fool, Kazuichi.” 

Mondo couldn't help but laugh at the last part. “Kazuichi kind of reminds me of one of my classmates. His name was Yasuhiro Hagakure. We all had a hard time figuring out how he made it past kindergarten, let alone all the way to high school.” Mondo said.

“And here I thought that foolish being’s stupidity was one of a kind...How horrifying.” Gundham replied.

“At least Kazuichi can be useful at times, though.” Mondo said.

“Yes...I suppose he does have his merits at times.” Gundham said, “The Four Dark Devas of Destruction have admittedly taken a liking to him - his stupidity amuses them.”

Mondo grinned, noticing a blush starting to form on Gundham’s face. 

“It looks like their master has taken a liking to him too.” 

Gundham’s eyes widened in surprise as he stuttered, “W-Well, I-I...uh…”

Mondo laughed at the other’s reaction, causing Gundham to growl and cover his face with his scarf. “Cease your laughter at once, mortal. I, Gundham Tanaka, demand that you do.” Gundham demanded.

Instead, Mondo’s laughter increased and so did Gundham’s blush.


	4. Hairpins and Jackets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mondo already knew that the jacket Izuru carried around was Nagito's but there was still another question:
> 
> Who did the hairpin belong to? 
> 
> Either Izuru is girly as fuck or Nagito is...
> 
> Unless it belongs to someone else.

A couple of days after the failed escape attempt, Mondo ran into Izuru. “Oh, hey!” Mondo called, getting the Ultimate Hope’s attention.

“Um, sorry that you got in trouble because of my escape attempt - I didn’t think that weak looking nurse would actually rat on us.” Mondo said.

Izuru shook his head, not saying a word but Mondo could tell what he meant - _“Don’t worry about it.”_

Mondo smiled sheepishly and said, “I hope Taka didn’t torture you too harshly…”

Izuru hesitated before wordlessly pulling down the color of his shirt to reveal a blood stained bandage around his neck. Panic immediately set in as Mondo asked, “W-What happened!?”

Izuru tried to sign a response with his hands but it was all incoherent to Mondo, who said, “I-I don’t understand what you’re trying to say!”

Mondo’s mind was going at a million miles per hour as he wondered, _“Why isn’t he talking? What did Taka do to him?”_

Izuru rolled his eyes at the other’s panicking before pointing at his throat and shaking his head. Mondo’s eyebrows furrowed in even more confusion as he asked, “What the fuck are you-”

_“Wait…”_

Realisation hit Mondo harder than a speeding train.

“Don’t tell me he…”

Izuru’s small nod of confirmation was all Mondo needed. Mondo felt as if he was going to vomit. “Holy fuck...Izuru, I’m so sorry.” Mondo whispered, trying to hold back tears.

Just then, something occurred to Mondo. “Izuru?” Mondo asked.

Izuru raised an eyebrow in response to show he was listening.

“If you’re the Ultimate Hope, wouldn’t you have been able to fight Taka off?”

Once again, Izuru nodded, confusion Mondo even more.

“Then...Why didn't you?” 

Izuru’s red eyes darted to the side and his grip on Nagito’s jacket tightened ever so slightly. Izuru gave a small shrug - for once he was unsure of his own reasoning. 

_“Wait a second...That look on Izuru’s face just then...Was that guilt?”_ Mondo wondered, slowly beginning to piece together the answer to his own question.

“Wait, don’t tell me you seriously blame yourself for Nagito-” 

**“Of course not!”** Izuru signed furiusly, cutting Mondo off before looking down and mumbling quietly.

_“Besides, it isn’t just him…”_

“Then what else is it?” Mondo asked.

“Why do you care?” Izuru signed coldly.

“Because we’re **_friends!”_ ** Mondo replied before realising what he said and smiling sheepishly, “I mean, I consider you my friend soo…”

Izuru visibly flinched at Mondo referring to him as his friend and without another word, turned on his heels and stormed off.

~~

Kiyotaka was in the middle of one of his tangents about how his _perfect_ plan will force the world into _perfect_ **order.** A bored Mondo pretended to be paying attention whilst actually reading a file he found left on Kiyotaka’s desk. The file was on Class 77th - which consisted of all the Remnants of Despair, except for Izuru and with an additional person by the name of Chiaki Nanami. 

_“Funny...I don’t recall a Chiaki ever being mentioned…”_ Mondo thought.

Before he could read further, Kiyotaka turned back around and Mondo had to quickly place the file down. “My dearest Mondo, are you paying attention?” Kiyotaka asked, “I asked you a question.”

“O-Of course I am.” Mondo replied nervously.

“Then what did I just say?” the perfect asked.

Mondo fell silent - he had no idea what Ishimaru was saying.

Ishimaru sighed and leaned in closer to Mondo. Just when the biker thought he’d be slapped for not paying attention, he was surprised to feel the Hall Monitor’s cold lips on his forehead.

_“You’re lucky I love you…”_

Mondo felt his face flare up at Kiyotaka’s words. Despite everything, just a small compliment from Kiyotaka was enough to get Mondo’s heart racing. Mondo hesitated, wondering if he should ask Kiyotaka about Chiaki. “...Hey, Taka?” Mondo asked.

“Mmm? What is it, my love?” Kiyotaka purred.

“Who’s Chiaki Nanami?” Mondo asked.

Kiyotaka paused for a moment, face blank. Just when Mondo began to panic, wondering if he’d made Kiyotaka angry, Kiyotaka suddenly bursted into laughter and began to leave the room, saying only one thing as he left.

“Perhaps one of the Remnants of Despair would be able to answer that question.” 

~~

Mondo tried to let it go, he really did buuut…

Curiosity may or may not have gotten the better of him…

And he may or may not have gone on to see the only Remnant of Despair who Mondo thought he had a decent relationship with….

And by “may”...

_He totally was._

“Hey Gundham.” Mondo greeted as he walked into the breeder’s room.

Gundham was feeding his hamsters when Mondo walked in. The affectionate expression Gundham had when tending to his hamsters quickly disappeared as he heard Mondo. “What is it?” Gundham asked.

“Um...Thanks for the other day.” Mondo said, figuring that was the best way to start a conversation.

“Do not speak of it - I do not want anyone thinking that I, Gundham Tanaka, actually care for a mortal.” Gundham said.

Mondo noticed that Gundham was bathing one of his hamsters which had some black substance on it. “What happened to the hamster?” Mondo asked.

“I mistakenly thought it would be a good idea to leave the Four Dark Devas of Destruction with that fool, Kazuichi, while I went to attend to some… _business…_ However, the fool couldn’t even take care of a couple of hamsters for a couple of hours and got oil all over them.” Gundham explained with an annoyed huffed.

“The hamsters don’t really seem to mind the oil though.” Mondo pointed out, gesturing to the hamsters who were happily munching on their food and rolling their oil covered bodies **everywhere.**

“Hmph. For some reason, they like the fool.” Gundham said, “I’ll admit, it’s impressive that a simpleton like Kazuichi was able to gain the approval of the Devas of Destruction, not many have sought their approval and recieved it without the price of their life.” 

Suddenly, as if on cue, the hamsters one by one hop into Mondo’s arms. “Woah!” Mondo exclaimed in surprise.

“Hm, it seems they’ve taken a liking to you too. Must be a thing with idiots.” Gundham said.

 _“Wouldn’t that include you too?”_ Mondo mentally asked.

“Maybe it’s because I used to have a pet dog.” Mondo said.

Gundham raised an eyebrow and said, “Is that so? You don’t strike me as a dog person.”

“Hell yeah, I fucking love dogs! His name was Chuck, he was a maltese.” Mondo replied. 

“Hm...A maltese you say...I must admit, those are one of my favourite breeds of dogs.” Gundham said, “They’re known for their intelligence and playfulness. I particularly like how loyal they are.”

“Right!?” Mondo asked with a grin, “I remember Chuck used to be waiting for me when I’d come home and he’d sit at my feet and bark happily. He also brought the newspaper in every morning all on his own! He was the smartest and cutest dog ever!” 

“Was? Did he…” Gundham trailed off.

“Die? Yeah…” Mondo replied, suddenly feeling depressed.

There was an awkward silence for a while as Mondo reveled in the memories of his deceased pet. 

“Have you heard of the legend that when mortals die, they become stars in the night sky?”

Gundham’s sudden question caught Mondo off guard. “Um...Yeah, so? Don’t tell me you’re actually going to tell me you believe that?” Mondo asked.

“Of course not, such a disgrace of a species deserves no such honor from the Gods. Animals on the other hand...Now, they are a different story.” Gundham replied.

“Sooo...You’re trying to tell me that animals become stars when they die?” Mondo asked.

“Precisely.” Gundham replied.

 _“It’s official - he’s lost it.”_ Mondo thought to himself.

“I know it sounds like a fairytale for children but if you ever find yourself missing your companion, look up at the sky and search for the brightest star - the star that’s brightest to you is always the one most important to you.” Gundham said.

Although Mondo thought it was a bunch of random rubbish, he appreciated Gundham’s attempt at cheering him up, muttering a soft, “Thanks…” 

_“I-I’ve gotten sidetracked. I should ask Gundham about this Chiaki person while I have the chance.”_ Mondo told himself.

“Hey, by the way, do you know someone by the name of Chiaki Nanami or something like that?” Mondo asked.

Gundham flinched at the name.

 _“He definitely knows who she is…”_ Mondo thought.

“Who...Where did you hear that cursed name?” Gundham asked.

“It was in some files Taka had on his desk.” Mondo explained.

“Chiaki was our class representative.” Gundham admitted.

“Was?” Mondo repeated.

“She died - or rather, she was killed by the King of Darkness.” Gundham replied.

“King of Darkness? You mean...Taka?” Mondo asked, eyes wide with shock.

Gundham noded in response, “The rest of us were forced to watch as she was tortured during a hopeless fight for her life. I don’t think I need to explain how that ended.”

Mondo looked down, biting his lip. “I’m sorry about what Taka did…” Mondo quietly said.

“It is in the past now. Do not worry about it.” Gundham said in what seemed like an attempt to brush off the death of his classmate.

“Did Izuru know her?” Mondo asked.

“Not to our knowledge, however, he did seem the most affected by her demise.” Gundham replied.

Mondo stood up, suddenly filled with newfound determination. “Gundham, you’re the best! I finally have the answers I need.” Mondo exclaimed.

Gundham tilted his head in confusion as he asked, “Answers? What foolhardy are you going on about now?” 

“Nothing, nothing.” Mondo replied with a hum, “Anyways, I gotta go! See ya later!” 

With that, Mondo sprinted out of the room, leaving a confused Gundham and Four Dark Devas of Destruction.

~~ 

Finding Izuru again wasn’t too difficult. The Ultimate Hope was exactly where the biker predicted he’d be - in Nagito’s old room. “Izuru!” Mondo called out as he entered the room.

Izuru had his back to Mondo and did not acknowledge him in the slightest. Regardless, Mondo continued, “I found out about who Chiaki was.”

Izuru flinched.

Mondo continued.

“She was pretty special to you, right? I know what it’s like to lose two of the most important people in your life.” Mondo said, thinking of a few instances - his brother’s death, his gang member’s deaths and...Taka’s death during the Killing Game.

“I know it sucks but-”

 **“You don’t get it.”** Izuru hissed.

 _“Wait a second…”_

“You...You can speak?” Mondo asked.

“Of course.” Izuru casually replied.

“What the-!? I thought you got your vocal cords ripped out or something!” Mondo exclaimed.

“Nope, Ishimaru stabbed me but not hard enough to be fatal.” Izuru said.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner!?” Mondo asked.

“Because your willingness to believe anything said to you amuses me.” Izuru coldly replied, “Also, I didn’t feel like answering your pointless questions.”

 _“Great…”_ Mondo sarcastically thought.

“So do you feel like answering them now?” Mondo asked.

“If I must…” Izuru said.

“This Chiaki person, were you friends?” Mondo asked.

“No...Well, not that I remember, at least.” Izuru replied, “I think I may have known her when I was who I was before.”

“You...think? If you’re not sure, how come I was told her death affected you the most?” Mondo asked.

“...For some reason, as I watched her breathe her final breaths, I found myself crying. I...had never done that before. The only explanation I could come up with is that she was close with my past self.” Izuru explained.

“So, that hairclip you keep with you, is that-”

“Hers? Yes.” Izuru said.

“You must’ve cared a lot about her if it made you cry.” Mondo said.

“If I cared for her, I wouldn’t have watched her die. I would’ve saved her.” Izuru argued, “The same goes for Nagito. Neither of them would have died had I intervened and yet I chose not to…” 

“That’s not true!” Mondo exclaimed, “I saw what happened when Nagito died, you tried to talk Taka out of it. It’s not your fault he didn’t listen.”

“I’m the Ultimate Hope, I had the ability to stop him.” Izuru insisted.

Mondo sighed - realising they could go back and forth like this for hours. 

_“Man, he’s starting to sound even more self-deprecating than Nagito…”_

In an attempt to change the subject, Mondo asked, “Izuru? How did you feel about Nagito?”

Izuru raised an eyebrow at the question and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Like, where you friends?” Mondo asked.

“How do I know?” Izuru asked, “All I know is that he interested me. His constant self-deprecating was quite annoying, though.” 

Izuru’s face slowly started to turn red as he spoke about Nagito. “So you do care about him. So much for you not having any emotions.” Mondo said.

“What does me liking him have to do with caring?” Izuru asked.

“You… **liking** him?” Mondo repeated.

It was then that Izuru realised what he had said, face turning even darker as he mumbled, “Well...I suppose I may care about him a _little_ bit…” 

Pushing past Mondo, Izuru began to leave the room but not before one last remark.

_“But there’s no point in talking about those who are already dead…”_


	5. He's Not A Bad Person - Just Insane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka and Mondo have a serious discussion after Kiyotaka sees the effect the recent events has had on his love.

_Kiyotaka Ishimaru was a monster._

Part of Mondo believed this - said part being his brain. 

_Kiyotaka Ishimaru was perfection._

All of Mondo believed this but in different ways. 

_Kiyotaka Ishimaru loved Mondo Oowada._

Only a part of Mondo believed this, however it was arguably the most crucial part - his heart. 

_“How can you honestly say that he still loves you? He’s a **psychopath!”** _

_“He would’ve killed you by now if he didn’t love you!”_

_“If he loved you, he wouldn’t have killed the people you care about most.”_

_“He didn’t want to kill them but because **you** disobeyed him, he had to punish you.” _

_“Love doesn’t have punishments! If he really loved you, he wouldn’t scare you into obeying him.”_

_“It’s discipline - a parent would punish their child when they misbehave.”_

_“That’s complete bullshit, you need to **fight him!”** _

_“The pain will only stop if you **obey.”** _

_**“SHUT UP!!!”**_

It was only when he noticed people were looking at him that Mondo realised he was screaming. “Woah, dude, are you okay?” Kazuichi asked.

“U-Uh, yeah, I’m fine…” Mondo replied.

“You sure? You kinda freaked out a bit there.” Kazuichi said.

“A bit? If that was a bit, I’d hate to see what a major freak out looks like.” Fuyuhiko said with a huff.

“I said I’m fucking fine!” Mondo snapped.

“Are you sure, Mondo? Perhaps it would be a good idea if you see Mikan.” Sonia suggested.

“I’m fine, Princess. You don’t have to worry about me.” Mondo insisted, trying not to yell at the princess.

Abruptly, Mondo got up and left the room to avoid being questioned further. After he left, Kazuichi asked, “What’s his problem?”

“It’s hard to tell with him.” Gundham replied, “But...perhaps I’ll go after him and make sure he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret later.” 

“Perhaps someone should come with you. Kiyotaka would be very upset if something happened to Mondo.” Sonia said.

“I’ll go.” Kazuichi said, “All Hell breaks loose when the boss is angry so I guess we should prevent that.” 

“Very well, then let us hurry - who knows what stupidity he may get up to should we leave him unattended to for long.” Gundham said.

Without waiting for a response, Gundham got up and left the room. “Hey! Wait!” Kazuichi called before following after the breeder.

_“Sheesh, first he says I can go with him and then he leaves without me…”_

~~

This was the second time in less than a week where Mondo had fled to his room and broken down in sobs. Mondo’s head was throbbing and his heart was pounding, both of them screaming at him.

Mondo’s heart was telling him to believe in Kiyotaka - that he really did love him and would never do anything to hurt him.

Mondo’s head was telling him to ditch Kiyotaka - that he was a psychopath and would inevitably bring Mondo down with him.

Emotions including stress, worry, sadness, anger, were raging in an unorganised mess inside Mondo but above all of them, Mondo was confused.

Mondo wanted to be with Kiyotaka - to lie in the warmth of his beloved’s arms and exchange sweet whispers of flirtation.

However, being with Kiyotaka meant not only sacrificing Mondo’s own morals but sacrificing the lives of thousands, including their classmates, Chiaki, Nagito and Mondo’s gang.

**It wasn’t fair!**

Why couldn’t he have both?

Why couldn’t Mondo love Kiyotaka without having to lose so many others?

Mondo knew he couldn’t bare to be without Kiyotaka but he wasn’t sure how long he could continue to sit and watch Kiyotaka get away with these atrocities without the guilt killing him.

Mondo’s first thought was to ask himself what Daiya would’ve done but he stopped when he realised something.

_“Daiya isn’t stupid enough to fall in love with a psychopath.”_

Unlike Mondo, Daiya never had trouble when it came to love. Girls and guys of different kinds would literally throw themselves at Daiya - _literally, there were people who actually threw themselves on top of Daiya which made for very awkward encounters._ Nerds, jocks, preps...Daiya could easily have all of them wrapped around his pinky finger, if he wanted to.

Then on the opposite end of the scale we have Mondo, who had been rejected at least 10 times in his life. Whenever, Mondo liked a girl and would try to confess to her, he’d accidently start yelling and scare her away. It always happened without fail. None of them could look past his yelling. After it happening 10 times, Daiya suggested, “Hey, bro, this might sound crazy but...Maybe the reason you don’t have luck with girls is because you’re actually into guys and just don’t know it yet.”

At the time, Mondo thought Daiya had been joking…

_Then he met Kiyotaka Ishimaru._

_The one person who could look past Mondo’s yelling._

_The one person who loved Mondo for who he was and not because of who his brother was…_

**Or so Mondo thought until all this happened….**

A knock at the door, startled Mondo and interrupted his tearful venting. Assuming it was Gundham, Mondo said, “G-Gundham, d-d-dude, I appreciate you coming to check on me...and all...b-but I’m fine-”

“...You don’t sound fine.” Kiyotaka’s voice, gentler than normal, replied.

Mondo was surprised to hear his beloved’s voice on the other side of the door and quickly opened it. Immediately, Kiyotaka pulled Mondo into his arms and allowed Mondo to sob into his shoulder. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Kiyotaka asked.

“I...I…” Mondo sniffled, unsure of whether Kiyotaka would get mad at him if he knew the truth or not.

“You…? Come on, my love, you can tell me. I promise I won’t get mad.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo hesitated.

_“Do you...love me?”_

Kiyotaka pulled away slightly so he could look at Mondo’s face. “Of course I do. Why do you ask?” 

Mondo looked down and mumbled, “I-I thought you were mad at me for trying to s-sneak out.” 

“I admit that I was but I was mostly hurt that you’d try to leave me…I guess I overreacted a little bit…” Kiyotaka admitted, “I shouldn’t have killed your friends, that was irrational of me. I’m sorry, my love. I must’ve scared you…”

Mondo nodded slightly, examining Kiyotaka face to see if there were any signs of lying. “I only did it because I was angry. The thought of you leaving me upsetted me so I tried to scare you into staying with me...If you left me, I’d probably go insane.” Kiyotaka continued before pressing his lips to Mondo’s cheek.

“I really do love you, Mondo - more than anything else in this whole world.”

Mondo’s entire face flushed and all words died on his lips as Kiyotaka pressed gentle kisses on Mondo’s cheeks.

“I promise I’ll be more gentle from now on.” Kiyotaka said, taking gently caressing Mondo’s face with his hands.

_“Can you forgive me?”_

As Mondo was about to respond, the voices from earlier started speaking to him again.

_“You can’t seriously be thinking of forgiving him!?”_

_“No! Go ahead, forgive him! It’s obvious he’s not lying. He really does love you and you love him!”_

_“If you actually forgive that scumbag, then you’re an even bigger idiot than he is.”_

_“Then I guess that makes me an idiot.”_ Mondo thought to himself before kissing Kiyotaka’s lips, accidentally knocking Kiyotaka to floor so that they were in a very compromising position in the process - not that either of them cared at the moment. 

“Of course I’ll forgive you.” Mondo replied, nuzzling Kiyotaka happily.

Kiyotaka laughed and leaned up slightly to kiss Mondo’s lips once again.

“Woah, uh…”

The sound of another voice caused Mondo to reluctantly pull away to turn to see who intruded on his and Kiyotaka’s kiss.

Standing in the doorway was a very shocked looking Kazuichi and Gundham. “Ummm, are we interrupting something, or…?” Kazuichi asked, gesturing to the position the two had landed in.

It was only then that Mondo realised how awkward the position he and Kiyotaka were in looked and quickly got off Kiyotaka, saying, “I-It isn’t what it looks like.”

 _“Dear God, I hope not…”_ Mondo heard Kazuichi mumble.

“Did you two need something?” Kiyotaka asked, getting off the floor.

“These fools were worried about Mondo after he suddenly screamed earlier.” Gundham replied.

“Hey! Don’t act like you weren’t worried too, it was your idea to come check up on him!” Kazuichi pointed out.

Gundham huffed and pulled his scarf over his face, saying, “I only suggested it because I knew you fools would not stop going on and on about it until I did.” 

Clearly, no one in the room brought that obvious lie, especially Kazuichi, who rolled his eyes and sarcastically said, “Suuure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“You two sound like an old marry couple arguing.” Mondo pointed out.

“W-What!?” both Gundham and Kazuichi asked, their faces turning dark red.

Kiyotaka laughed and said, “I was just thinking the same thing!”

Mondo snorted and said, “The best part is that neither of them denied it.” 

Both Kazuichi and Gundham had turned dark red at this point, both of them look everywhere except at the other. “By the way,” Kiyotaka said, suddenly changing the subject, “Gundham, I wanted to ask you something. Could we go somewhere else and discuss it?”

Gundham nodded and followed Kiyotaka out of the room, Kiyotaka stopping to kiss Mondo’s forehead on the way out, leaving Mondo and Kazuichi alone. “Why Gundham? What’s so special about him?” Mondo heard Kazuichi mumbling.

“Do you want the short answer or the long one?” Mondo asked in response.

Kazuichi groaned in annoyance.

****

**"Neither!”**

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have a legit question that I would really like to know. 
> 
> Do you guys legitimately believe that Taka (in this fanfic, of course) really does love Mondo? Why/why not?
> 
> I'd love to see what you guys think and remember that everyone's entitled to their own opinions - there really no right or wrong answer here.
> 
> And in case anyone's wondering, the Sodam is not unrequited, Kazuichi does have feelings for Gundham but hasn't realised it yet.


	6. Hamster Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyotaka and Mondo go on a date. The prefect has a couple of surprises up his sleeve to make it up to Mondo for his behavior previously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> COME ON EVERYBODY, CLAP YOUR HANDS, COME ON EVERYBODY, IT'S A HAMSTER DANCE!
> 
> Thank you to all the people who commented last chapter - I was not expecting that many responses!
> 
> While I'm at it, thank you to everyone who's read, commented and given kudos to this fanfic, you're all awesome - take some internet cookies...and some boxes of tissues for noooo reason at all....hehehe....
> 
> EDIT: Okay, some scene at the end was for some reason cut out - apologies to all who read this before I realised the mistake.

It had been a couple of days since Mondo’s talk with Kiyotaka. Kiyotaka had woken Mondo up that morning by gently kissing him on his face and neck before asking Mondo to go on a date with him later that evening. Despite his original suspension, Mondo agreed to the date, remembering how genuine Kiyotaka seemed when they last talked. 

When Kiyotaka had stopped by Mondo’s room to pick him up for their date, Mondo was presented with a bouquet of roses and honeysuckle. “Good evening, my love. You look as beautiful as ever. These flowers pale in comparison to your beauty.” Kiyotaka said. 

Mondo blushed. Normally, he didn't care for flowers but when Kiyotaka was involved…

“Uh, t-thank you...You didn’t have to get me anything, ya know.” Mondo said.

“I wanted to.” Kiyotaka replied, “So, are you ready to go on our date?” 

Mondo nodded before asking, “Where are we going, anyways?”

“It’s a surprise.” Kiyotaka replied. 

As Mondo and Kiyotaka headed out into the outside world, Mondo was surprised to see that the outside world was much different than he remembered it being like a couple of days ago when he tried to escape. 

Before, Mondo had to literally step over corpses just walk a couple of steps and half of the footpaths were stained red. 

Now, everything seemed clean without a trace of blood visible.

Before, everywhere you went, there was the ear piercing sounds of people screaming and dying.

Now, everything was quiet and the world seemed at peace.

Before, the odor of death followed you wherever you went as well as an overwhelming feeling of despair.

Now, it was like those deaths never happened and while there was still the feeling of despair, there was also another kind of feeling that Mondo could only describe with one word.

_**Order.**_

“How...What the heck happened?” Mondo asked.

“Oh right, I forgot you haven’t been out since…” Kiyotaka trailed off, “We’ve finally managed to get rid of most of those scums who opposed us. Without them in our way, I’ve finally been able to start bringing perfect order to this place.”

“How the fuck did you do all this in a couple of days?” Mondo asked.

“You know me, I don’t like wasting time. I made sure everything was executed perfectly and because of that, we managed to succeed.” Kiyotaka replied.

Mondo wasn’t sure if he was impressed or scared at how quickly Kiyotaka did all of this. “Come on, the surprise isn’t too far from he.” Kiyotaka said, taking Mondo’s hand in his and proceeding to lead the biker down the street.

As the walked, Mondo couldn’t help but blush as he stared at their entwined hands. Silence lingered in the air. As Mondo tried to think of a conversation topic, he noticed a disembodied head displayed in an empty shop. Mondo jumped in surprise and before he could stop himself, Mondo was clinging onto Kiyotaka’s arm. Kiyotaka looked at Mondo with worry and confusion as he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“T-There’s a fucking head in that shop!” Mondo exclaimed.

As Kiyotaka looked over to where Mondo was gesturing, he suddenly bursted into laughter.

“Mondo, that’s a toy.”

Mondo looked over at the “head” again and realised Kiyotaka was right. After getting a good look at it, it was clear that the head was part of a doll and had somehow got detached from the body. Feeling slightly embarrassed now, Mondo mumbled quietly, “Oh…”

As Mondo began to loosen his grip on Kiyotaka’s arm, Kiyotaka place his hand on Mondo’s, stopping him. “Don’t, I like it when you cling onto me.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo blushed but didn’t remove his hand and continued walking close to Kiyotaka. Eventually, they arrived at the intended destination. “We’re here.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo probably got more excited than he should have when he saw the store’s title.

_“Pet Store.”_

“I know how much you like dogs so I thought you’d probably like something like this.” Kiyotaka explained.

 _“Okay, anyone who sees you cry and doesn’t laugh at you for it is awesome. Anyone who sees you cry, doesn’t laugh at you and then takes you to play with dogs, must either be sent from Heaven or Hell.”_ Mondo thought to himself, _“Geez, just when I thought I couldn’t fall any harder for him…”_

As the two walked inside, the shop owner seemed to have been expecting them and gave them permission to do whatever they want with the animals. Mondo immediately went over to the dogs, who all came up to him and started barking and wagging their tails happily. A small pomeranian in particular was pressing his nose up to the the glass and making cute faces at Mondo. The pomeranian had orange and light yellow fur with big black eyes - he was fucking adorable. “I think he likes you.” Kiyotaka said as the pomeranian proceeded to stick it’s tongue out and try to lick Mondo through the glass.

Mondo laughed and playfully stuck his tongue back out at the pomeranian. Kiyotaka grinned at his beloved’s childishness and playfully asked, “Which one is the dog again?”

“Hey!” Mondo said, pretending to sulk.

Kiyotaka laughed before placing a kiss on Mondo’s cheek and asking, “Was this a good idea of mine?” 

“Hell fucking yeah!” Mondo replied enthusiastically with a grin.

“It’s a shame the owner didn’t have any Malteses left.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo shrugged and said, “Oh well, all dogs are adorable anyways sooo….Besides, pomeranians are the next best thing.” 

“So out of all of these dogs here, which is your favourite?” Kiyotaka asked.

Mondo groaned dramatically and said, “Don’t make me choose!”

After thinking about it for a moment, Mondo decided, “If I had to pick one, the orange and yellow pomeranian is probably my favourite. It’s a goofball just like Chuck.”

“Then I’ll buy him for you.” Kiyotaka said.

Mondo’s eyes lit up happily as he asked, “Really!?”

“Of course, anything for my sweet Mondo.” Kiyotaka said, calling the shopkeeper over.

Mondo felt like his heart was about to beat out his chest and was thankful that Kiyotaka was too busy talking with the shop owner to notice. It was becoming harder and harder to deny that Kiyotaka loved him and more and more difficult to resist him too. “Mondo, what would you like to name him?” Kiyotaka asked the biker, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Mondo paused for a moment, trying to come up with a good name.

Chuck had already been done before and would probably get too confusing. 

Calling him Daiya would be a tad weird. 

Unfortunately, Crazy Diamond had yet to become an official pet name. 

It also would be weird to name it after Kiyotaka, who was more like a jaguar than a pomeranian. 

Mondo decided to go with the first random name that popped into his head.

_“Missile.”_

“Missile?” Kiyotaka repeated with a raised eyebrow, “May I ask where that name came from?”

Mondo shrugged and said, “Just thought of it.”

“Missile it is then.” Kiyotaka said, turning back to the shop owner.

After adopting Missile, the two left the pet store with their new dog. Once outside, Mondo hugged his boyfriend, kissing him passionately on the lips and saying, “Thank you, Taka!”

Kiyotaka smiled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and replying, “Anything for you, my dearest.”

Pulling away slightly, Kiyotaka said, “Now come on, there’s an ice cream parlor not too far off from here and since it’s hot today, it’s the perfect temperature to have ice cream.” 

“First you buy me a dog and now ice cream? Shut up and marry me.” Mondo playfully said.

Kiyotaka laughed and said, “Oh, don’t worry about that, I will marry you and once we are, you can have all the dogs and ice cream you want.” 

This time, it was Mondo who entwined their hands. The biker leaned his head on the prefects shoulder, a content smile gracing his lips.

_“I love you.”_

Kiyotaka smiled, twirling Mondo’s hair with his fingers.

_“I love you too.”_

~~ 

“Sooo what did the boss want from you?” Kazuichi asked, curiosity finally getting the better of him.

“He was planning to take Mondo on a date and asked me what kinds of dogs besides Malteses Mondo would like since I’m the Ultimate Breeder as well as what kinds of the flowers to get him.” Gundham explained, not glancing at the other.

“Wait, you’re an animal expert _and_ a flower expert?” Kazuichi asked.

 _“Is there anything this guy can’t do!?”_

“Do not be ridiculous. A dark lord such as myself does not care about foolish things such as flowers.” Gundham replied, nervously tugging his scarf despite his words. 

“There you go again…” Kazuichi mumbled under his breath. 

“What?” Gundham asked. 

“Why do you always refer to yourself as some super evil dark lord?” Kazuichi asked, “Why not just be a regular person?” 

“Because I am not a regular being. I am a supreme overlord of death and destruction.” Gundham replied. 

“Oh, come on, it’s pretty obvious you’re not as big and bad as you pretend to be. I don’t get why you pretend to be evil when you’re not.” Kazuichi said. 

“And how do you know that? You and I know hardly anything about each other so who are you to cast judgement upon me?” Gundham asked. 

“Well, Miss Sonia likes you. Besides, if you were really as bad as you say you are, you wouldn’t have gone after Mondo before and you wouldn’t be talking with me now so why don’t you just admit it?” Kazuichi asked.

“And why, pray tell, does the way I portray myself concern you so? I don’t think it’s any of your business.” Gundham snapped in response. 

_“It’s my **fucking** concern ‘casue I don’t want you to end up like me, okay?” _

Gundham went silent after Kazuichi’s sudden outburst, staring at the mechanic with wide eyes. Kazuichi sighed, staring at the ground as he continued, “Look, I don’t know why you put up this fake persona of yourself but it’s not a good thing to do. I had a friend once who made me completely change my appearance so I’d fit in with the popular kids. It didn’t do shit for me because not too long after, the little shit stabbed me in the back, threw me to the curb and left me there to rot.” 

Kazuichi was gritting his teeth and his nails were clawing at his pants. For a moment, Gundham thought Kazuichi would accidently rip the fabric. Kazuichi’s breathing shortened and became more like angry growls - clearly this person Kazuichi was thinking of wasn’t a pleasant memory. Kazuichi sighed, pausing for a moment to calm down before continuing, “I was stuck with an appearance I hated. I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror without being disgusted. There’s no point in changing yourself for other people because they’ll probably backstab you either way so...So don’t you fucking **_dare_** pretend to be someone you’re not because that’s just letting those **assholes** win. I know we’re not the best of friends and all, but I don’t want the same thing that happened to me to happen to you.” 

For once, Gundham was speechless, unsure of what to say. He wasn’t expect this, especially not from _Kazuichi_ of all people. Gundham wasn’t sure what to say - he wasn’t good in these kinds of situations. Was he supposed to comfort Kazuichi? But they weren’t exactly friends, wouldn’t that make things awkward? All of Gundham’s nervous pulling at his scarf caused it to come off, exposing his neck.

His scar covered neck. 

“Woah! You’re hurt! Hang on, I’ll get Mikan-”

“Relax, these are all old scars.” Gundham said, cutting Kazuichi off, who seemed slightly relieved at Gundham’s words.

“Um, if you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Kazuichi asked, “And don’t say you fell down the stairs or else I might start to think you’re related to Nagito.” 

“As if there’s even a slight chance that idiot and I may have been related.” Gundham said.

Gundham shifted around uncomfortably before slowly saying, “I believe I’ve mentioned before that I’m the byproduct of an angel and a demon.”

Kazuichi nodded in confirmation. “My mother was the angel I was referring to while my father was the...demon. My father was abusive. He’d sexually assaulted my mother and hit me against the wall. He said I was a disgusting freak of nature sent from another world to cause terror on the lives of those unfortunate enough to cross paths with me. Normal parents would encourage their children to go out and make friends, but I was punished for it. I wasn’t scared of my father, I could’ve easily told someone about what he had been doing had it not been for one thing - by doing so, I’d be putting my mother’s life at risked and no matter what the reason, that’s something I could never do. Thankfully, he had a heart attack at a young age and passed away while I was in the early stages of adolescence. It’s...been a number of years but I can still hear his voice.” Gundham explained.

“W-What kind of dad abuses his own kid!?” Kazuichi asked.

“That man did not deserve the title of father.” Gundham said.

“Geez...I...I’m sorry you had to go through all that, I didn’t know…” Kazuichi apologised.

“You have no reason to apologise, this was not your doing. It’s in the past now, anyways.” Gundham said.

“Just because it’s in the past doesn’t mean it should be forgotten. I mean, you were abused by your old man - that’s not something you can get over easily.” Kazuichi pointed out. 

Gundham didn’t reply, instead picking up his scarf to put it back on and cover his scars. “Uh, by the way, I promise I’m not gonna tell anyone about...you know...what you just told me.” Kazuichi said.

“And I’ll speak naught of what you said too.” Gundham replied.

The two fell silent, unsure of what else to say…

“Soo...How’s your hamsters doing?” 

Kazuichi wasn’t really sure why he asked _that_ of all things, it was just the first thing that came to him.

Gundham flinched at the question, for some reason appearing to be very surprised by it. The breeder went silent and at first, Kazuichi thought he didn’t hear him until he realised that the breeder was shaking. “Uh, are you okay?” Kazuichi asked, starting to worry.

Gundham hesitated before asking, “If...If I told you something, could you keep it a secret for me?” 

“Sure, what is it?” Kazuichi asked.

_“The Four Dark Devas of Destruction are **dead.”** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whistles innocently*
> 
> *proceeds to hide behind table*


	7. Lesser of Two Evils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gundham opens up to Kazuichi and stands up for him when faced with the wrath of the Ultimate Nurse. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Mondo comes back from his date with Kiyotaka - only to find Izuru waiting for him with some news.

Kazuichi’s eyes widened at the breeder’s revelation. “W-W-What? B-But I saw them the other day!” Kazuichi said.

As if on cue, the Four Dark Devas of Destruction - or rather, their lookalikes - came waddling over to the pair, as if to see what all the commotion was. “If the Devas are dead, then who are they?” Kazuichi asked.

“They’re merely imposters - doppelgangers bestowed upon me in an attempt to take away the pain of the Devas’ passing.” Gundham replied.

“H-How did they die?” Kazuichi asked.

Gundam's expression seemed to harden and he gritted his teeth.

**_“She_** _killed them.”_

Gundham didn’t need to clarify who **“she”** was, as Kazuichi immediately knew who Gundham was referring to from the malice in his eyes, “You mean...Junko Enoshima?”

Gundham noded. Kazuichi felt Gundham’s anger in that moment. 

_“Enoshima...That stupid bitch! She manipulated all of us, only to betray us and kick us to the curb as if we were nothing! Tch, to think we actually trusted her…”_

“Gundham, I’m so sorry she did that to them.” Kazuichi said.

Gundham huffed, although it wasn’t an angry or frustrated huff, it was more like a sad huff. Looking away, Gundham mumbled, “It’s not your fault…I should’ve protected them better. I should have known better than to trust that witch who disguises herself with lies of trust and kindness.”

“Well, it’s sure as Hell not your fault either! We were all duped by Junko Enoshima but none of us are to blame except for her. She probably would’ve killed them even if you didn’t trust her. It’s not your fault, okay? She is - was - a horrible person.” Kazuichi insisted.

Before Gundham could respond, another spoke before him.

**“Don’t talk about her like that!”**

Gundham and Kazuichi both turned to see the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki, standing there. Anger was written all over the normally meek nurse’s face. “Junko was not a horrible person - she truly did love me, I just know she did. S-She was the only one who ever accepted me.” Mikan said.

“She didn’t love you, Mikan, she was insane!” Kazuichi argued, “She’d always **hit** you and degrade you. Not even Hiyoko would go that far - sure she talks shit but she wouldn’t actually hit you!”

**_“SHUT UP!”_**

**  
  
**

Kazuichi jumped at Mikan’s uncharacteristic yelling - even Gundham raised an eyebrow at the change. “W-Woah! W-What the heck has gotten into you!?” Kazuichi asked.

Unlike the fear that usually burned in her eyes, Mikan’s eyes were burning with hatred and hurt. “Junko would never abuse me like everyone else **always** does! Who are you to talk about love anyways!? You’re chasing after some stupid woman who doesn’t even feel the same way!” Mikan snapped.

Kazuichi visibly flinched at the second part. Noticing this, Gundham decided to step in, saying, “What do you mean? Everyone always abuses you? I hardly think that to be the case. I don’t recall the Dark Queen nor Kazuichi or myself ever abusing you, as implied by your claim. Furthermore, even if we had, the second part of your claim about everyone _always_ doing so is still incorrect, neither of us have said anything throughout the entirety of this conversation that can be defined as abusive. If anything, I think your comment about Kazuichi’s love life was the most uncalled for and unnecessary thing stated.”

Both Kazuichi and Mikan seemed surprise that _Gundham_ of all people was defending Kazuichi. “W-What the…? Why are **you** sticking up for _him?”_ Mikan asked.

“Yeah, I second that!” Kazuichi said, “I thought you hated me?”

“Hmph. Such a foolish assumption. If I hated you, do you really think I’d tolerate being near you, let alone converse with you?” Gudham asked.

Before Kazuichi could reply, Mikan huffed and said, “Hmph, I see how it is. You’re both ganging up me just because I have someone who loves me.”

_“Well, technically, you don’t ‘cause she’s dead…”_ Kazuichi thought to himself but did not say out loud. 

“Mikan, if you love Junko then why are you following Ishimaru?” Kazuichi asked.

“I’m only doing it so I can spread despair, just like my beloved Junko wanted!” Mikan replied. 

Gundham and Kazuichi both exchanged looks of confusion - neither of them quite understanding Mikan’s mentality. Mikan had a hand on her chest and her face was flushed. Drool was running down her mouth as proceeded to go on a tangent about her feelings for Junko. Kazuichi was only able to endure the tangent for a couple of minutes before he cut her off, saying, “Okay, okay, we get. Please do not have an orgasm in front of us.”

“Hmph, why not? I bet you’d probably like seeing a girl orgasm in front of you and it’s not like you’ll ever get to see Sonia orgasm - this is probably the closest you’ll get.” Mikan replied.

Kazuichi sighed, this conversation was beginning to annoy him. “Did you just come here to annoy us or did you actually need something? Because if not, can you kindly...um, you know...leave?” Kazuichi asked.

Kazuichi wasn’t trying to be rude but he was at his wit’s end with this girl. Clearly, Mikan took offence. “Fine then! You two are just a pair of bullies!” Mikan snapped before storming off. 

There was a feeling of relief without Mikan’s presence in the room. “Here I thought she’d never leave.” Gundham said.

“Yeah, I know.” Kazuichi agreed, “Where did she come from anyways? I thought we were the only two here…”

“You **do** realise we’re in the middle of a hallway, right?” 

Looking around, it was only then that Kazuichi realised that Gundham was right - they were in the middle of a hallway where people were sure to hear them. “Aw, geez, I didn’t realise! Do you think anyone heard us?” Kazuichi asked.

“Not anyone who’d care, most likely.” Gundham answered, “Just to be on the safe side...we could continue this conversation somewhere else, if you want.”

“Uh, yeah, l-let’s do that.” Kazuichi replied, admittedly quite shocked that Gundham offered to continue the conversation - not that Kazuichi was complaining, this was all rather interesting.

~~ 

After finish his date with Kiyotaka, Mondo felt like he was over the moon or on some sort of high that he was never coming down from. After parting ways with his boyfriend, Mondo began to play in his room with his new dog.

_Well, that’s what he was going to do at least._

However, upon entering his room, Mondo found a familiar face waiting there for him. “Oh, hey Izuru. Been a while since we last talked.” 

Izuru’s expression was his normal, serious stare but for some reason, today it seemed even more serious than normal. “We need to talk.” Izuru said.

Closing the door behind him, Mondo walked further into the room, asking, “Sure, what about?”

“I’ve...managed to regain some of my memories and with it, some of my emotions too, I think.” 

“Really!? That’s great!” Mondo exclaimed, “So you know who you were before?”

“Partly. I’ve only remembered a few things such as my name.” Izuru replied, “I think my name was something along the lines of Hajime Hinata but as far as an Ultimate Talent goes - I can’t remember anything that could hint to what it may be…” 

“Hajime Hinata, huh?” Mondo asked, “Can’t say I remember anyone by that name…What else do you remember about him - er, I mean...you? Maybe it’ll job my memory a bit.” 

“Like what?” Izuru asked.

“I dunno - general stuff. Like...your birthday, likes, dislikes, personality...that kind of stuff.” Mondo replied.

“I’m fairly certain he - I - must have been born on the first of January.” Izuru said.

“The first of January? You mean New Years Day?” Mondo asked.

“Correct, although I’m unsure how accurate my memory is at this point. I remember having a strong liking for kusamochi but a strong disdain for sakuramochi, though I’m unsure why. I can’t remember much about my personality but I do remember coming off as quite cynical.” Izuru said, “That’s about all I can remember.”

Mondo racked his brain, trying to think of who Izuru might’ve been before but he had no clue. “I still have no idea who you could’ve been...but I guess it’s a start…” Mondo said, “Maybe Taka would know who you were.”

_“Don’t tell him!”_

“You’re the only person who knows this so I’d like you to keep it a secret.” Izuru said.

“Uh, okay but why?” Mondo asked.

“I would make things complicated if too many people knew. Besides, I do not trust Kiyotaka Ishimaru.” Izuru replied.

“Why not?” Mondo asked, legitimately confused.

“Why not? Have you forgotten what he’s done? He killed th- people! He killed your gang members! He’s a psychopath!” Izuru snapped.

“He’s not really all that bad. He promised me he would change and he’s been normal lately.” Mondo said.

“He’s just pretending to be _normal_ so he can manipulate you and gain your trust!” Izuru exclaimed, “He did the same to **them** and now he’s doing it to you too!” 

“Them? Who’s them?” Mondo asked, wondering why Izuru seemed so angry all of us sudden.

“The others!” Izuru said, sounding frustrated.

_“The other Remnants of Despair.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, the reason Mikan isn't stuttering much during this is because I think she'd probably stutter less when talking about Junko. I hope I kept her in character though, I am definitely NOT a Mikan fan so I don't usually write her but there was no way this fanfic would happen without her popping up at some point. 
> 
> Secondly, I really wanna write the next chapter of My Beloved so I'll probably not update this story until the next chapter for My Beloved is up. I've already started on it and I've drafted it so it shouldn't be too a huge wait. 
> 
> So, to chapters ago, I asked a question in the author's notes and the response I received was awesome. It was cool to see what you guys thought and read your responses so I wanna do that again. This time, the question I'd like to ask is: "Do you think, at this point in time, there's any hope for Kiyotaka to be stopped? If so, by who and if not, why not?"

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to be a short one shot but as you can all see, it expanded to something more. Do you guys think I should continue this? I might since this was really fun to do.


End file.
